


Keep Breathing, 'Cause I'm Not Leaving You Anymore

by Skyeec2



Series: Strifesodos Week 2017 [7]
Category: Compilation of Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Angst, Friendship, M/M, Miscommunication, Misunderstandings, Pre-Relationship, Song Lyric Titles, Soulmate AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-24
Updated: 2017-06-24
Packaged: 2018-11-18 05:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,496
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11284971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skyeec2/pseuds/Skyeec2
Summary: Day Seven of Strifesodos Week 2017. The prompt I chose was Soulmates.





	Keep Breathing, 'Cause I'm Not Leaving You Anymore

**Author's Note:**

> Day Seven of Strifesodos Week! Yay! This took me so long to write.  
> I’m so very happy with how this one turned out and no one will take that from me.

The sunset was beautiful today.

It painted the sky in an array of pinks, oranges and reds as the sun sunk further from the sky. If Cloud turned then he would see the sky darken form the bright blue of day to the near-blackness of night.

Cloud enjoyed being able to watch the sunset like this.

Even if he didn’t know how he could see the sunset like this. He couldn’t remember meeting the person that made colour bloom in his vision, he didn’t remember meeting his soulmate.

But he was fine with it that way, no matter what some of his friends might say; he didn’t care that he had someone one there just for him out there, or that they hadn’t tried to find him in the past three years. He didn’t need someone to make him a whole person, he was figuring that out just fine on his own.

Most of the other people that matter didn’t care about the fact that he didn’t know who he soulmate was, neither did the kids. The kids just cared that he could see the colours of their drawings.

The sun was nearly gone from the sky when he heard the sound of a large wing beating somewhere behind him. He tensed at the sound, keeping his breathing steady as he determined whether or not it was approaching him.

He gripped the hilt of his blade when he determined it was moving towards him, waiting for whatever it was to approach enough for an attack.

The sound of the beating wing continued to grow in volume as the thing approached him until a weight dropped gracefully, almost silently, behind him. Whatever was behind him must be powerful it the amount of magic bleeding into the air around them was anything to go by.

He remained calm as it approached him, preparing to go the defense if it challenged him. It didn’t attack him though, instead it stopped a few feet behind him.

They remained there for several minutes, Cloud kept his hand on the hilt of his sword, posture poised for action as he waited for the winged being to decide what would happen.

“Hello,” apparently it had decided not to try attacking him. “I was hoping I could speak with you.”

Cloud turned, finally taking in what had landed behind him. It turned out to be a man, taller than Cloud was, with an unkempt, dirty appearance. He had knotted red-hair falling to his lower back and he wore a tattered red-leather jacket, barely held together by black leather straps. His eyes held the telltale mako glow; a steady glow though, meaning this man had been a SOLDIER and not a victim of DeepGround or Hojo’s dubious science.

There was a double-jointed wing folded tightly to his back; black-grey feathers a stark contrast against the rest of the man.

The man was watching him, eyes trained on his face with a hopeful expression, wing twitching behind him. Cloud raised his brow in question at the man, remaining silent as he waited for the SOLDIER to start speaking.

He watched as the man’s expression fell before he shifted until his matted hair shielded his features. “I,” the stranger started, his words coloured by a high-class accent. “I was hoping for refuge…” His words trailed off, tone oddly dejected.

Cloud stared at the winged-male for several minutes, watching as the other tensed more as time passed, wondering why the other had decided to request something like that from _him_.

Cloud huffed a small breath, standing from where he had been sitting on the hard earth beneath him, observing how the stranger froze completely at his action. He turned a sharp gaze on the man, giving the other one final critical look.

He turned away from the other, walking towards where he had left Fenrir, calling over his shoulder as he went, “we should go now if we want an easy trip back to Edge.” He didn’t turn to see the other’s expression but he knew that he was being followed from the footsteps behind him. “You should tuck that wing of yours away if you can.” He added after a moment, he didn’t want to deal with terrified civilians tonight.

He didn’t hear any sounds from the stranger but the wing was missing from his frame when he next looked at him, a few stray black feathers caught in red hair the only indication that it had been there.

He mounted Fenrir with the ease of long familiarity, securing his riding goggles over his eyes. He turned to the other after a moment of nothing happening, fixing the man with an expectant look until the other got onto the bike behind him. The stranger was cautious about how he positioned himself until Cloud started Fenrir, the movements of the bike caused the stranger to tighten his grip and press closer to Cloud.

Cloud ignored the man’s movements, concentrating on getting back to Edge without issue.

* * *

They reached Edge soon enough and Cloud was able to bring the stranger to Seventh Heaven without any issues from anyone they passed. The bar was well into business hours when they arrived so Cloud pulled Fenrir around to park at the back of the establishment.

The stranger removed himself from Fenrir the moment Cloud killed the engine, moving a respectful distance away from him and watching to see what he would do. Cloud flicked his gaze towards him to ensure he knew where the other was before lifting himself from Fenrir, removing his riding goggles from his eyes.

“Wait here,” he told the other, walking towards the back entrance of the bar. “I’ll see if it’s safe to bring you up.” He heard a soft agreement from behind him before he stepped through into the warm atmosphere of the bar.

Tifa’s eyes landed on him quickly, a warm, welcoming smile on her face as she addressed him. “Cloud! I wasn’t expecting you back yet!” She ran her eyes over his form in a familiar gesture, searching for a hint of injury or evidence that he had gotten into a fight. “Everything alright?” She asked, a soft tone of worry entering her voice.

Cloud returned her warm smile with a more subdued one of his own, “I’m fine Tifa.” He answered in a warm voice, “just got something I need to run by you.” He gestured toward the kitchen, indicating that he needed to talk to her privately.

He entered the kitchen after she indicated her understanding, leaning back against one of the counters for her to have enough time to come back and talk with him.

She entered the kitchen a few moments later, fixing him with an inquiring look as she approached him. “What’s going on Cloud?”

He remained silent for a few moments, thinking about how he would explain this to his friend. “Someone found me out on the wastes,” he told her. “He says he needs help.”

She hummed thoughtfully when he finished speaking, placing a finger to her lips as she thought. “How bad off is he?” She asked, eyes focused unseeingly on the counter in front of her eyes.

“Pretty rought. Looks like he hasn’t seen clean water in months.”

“A SOLDIER?”

He scoffed, voice irritated as he replied. “Of course he is.”

She made a distracted nod, falling silent for a few moments. He waited for her decision patiently, listening to the patrons in the next room.

A decisive noise from his Tifa had him fixing his attention back on her. “Your old room’s still empty,” she told him. “You can get him settled in up there, I’m pretty sure you left some things up there he can use until we can get some things that’ll fit him.”

“Alright, I’ll bring him up.”

She left the kitchen before he did, returning to her work with a bright smile. He followed a few moments after, slipping back out of the back door of the bar to where he had left the stranger.

The other man was still out there, leaning against a shadowed part of the wall with a tense posture. He turned to Cloud when he exited the building, watching him with a curious look.

“Come on, up.” He told him, gesturing him forward. “There’s a room for you.”

He saw the stranger hesitate before moving forward, following Cloud awkwardly through the door into the establishment. They kept to the back of the building, avoiding the rest of the people inside as Cloud led him upstairs.

His old room was exactly as he remembered it; plain and ordinary with no personal touches at al. Consisting only of a bed, a chair set before a work desk and a set of drawers. He hadn’t used this room as anything more than a place to rest on occasions, it had been all too easy to abandon it and look for a place of his own.

Tifa hadn’t understood why he wanted to find his own place at first but she realized that it was just something he needed for himself after he had sat both her and Denel down to talk about his decision. Denel, on the other hand, was much less resistant to the idea and simply wanted Cloud to promise that he would still come visit them.

The other looked around the room curiously when they entered, lingering by the doorway as Cloud searched through the plain, wooden drawers for something the other could wear until they got his own clothes washed. He pulled out a pair of pants and a baggy t-shirt that would work well enough for the moment and strode back over to the other man with them.

“You can use these for the moment,” he told him, holding the clothing out to the other. “I’ll put those in the wash while you’re in the shower.”

The other took them from him hesitantly, following him out of the room to the shared bathroom.

“Everything you should need’s in there. Pass those to me through the door okay?” The stranger nodded with a soft agreement, closing the door behind him when he entered the bathroom. The door opened a crack a few moments later, a dark turtleneck and pants passed through the door before it closed once again. Followed by the sound of the shower starting.

Cloud took the clothes down into the laundry area of the bar off the side of the kitchen, putting the clothes into the machine with barely a thought about how the clothes were the uniform of a SOLDIER First Class. He turned the machine on and leaned back against it with a sigh, rolling his head on his shoulders.

Well, tonight had turned out interesting.

He opened his eyes when he felt someone else enter the room with him, relaxing when he recognized Denzel standing awkwardly in the doorway. “Hey Denzel,” he greeted the young boy with a soft smile. “How are things going?”

Denzel approached him then, drawing closer before he responded. “I’m fine,” he paused then, flicking his gaze up to the second-floor above them. “Who’s he?” He asked, the question equal parts curious and worried.

“Just someone who needs help.” He told the younger, laying his hand on Denzel’s shoulder when the worried expression stayed on the other’s face. “Don’t worry about him too much, alright? Tifa and I’ll keep an eye on him.”

Denzel looked up at him after he finished speaking, fixing him with a hopeful look. “You’ll be around more then?”

Cloud sighed softly, lowering himself until he was eye to eye with the younger. “Yeah, I’ll be around for a while.”

Denzel nodded with a bright grin, accepting his answer with all the trust of a child. Cloud ushered him out of the room soon after, urging him to go finish his homework and promising that he’d see him before he left for the night.

Cloud watched him leave the room with a thoughtful expression. Denzel was definitely missing Marlene more than he was letting on. Barret had decided to take Marlene out to Corel for a visit and they wouldn’t be returning to Edge for a few weeks.

He lifted himself to his feet, leaving the room with a final glance at the machine still running behind him. The other’s stuff wouldn’t be done for some time and he’d probably be out of the shower before then.

“Hey Cloud!” Tifa called out before he could make his way back up to the second floor. “Come over here before you go back up.”

He walked over to her, taking the two plates she presented to him. “Here,” she said with a bright smile. “He’ll probably appreciate some real food.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he’ll enjoy it, Tifa.” He assured her. “I’ll bring these down once we’re done.”

He turned away from her, making his way up to the second floor of the bar. He heard the shower cut off as he reached the top of the stairs. He moved into the room the ex-SOLDIER would be using, sitting down on the lone chair in the room and setting both plates on the desk in front of him.

He waited silently, picking at the food on his plate and listening to the barely audible sounds of the people on the floor below him. The ex-SOLDIER entered the room son after, pausing when his gaze landed on Cloud’s form.

Cloud blinked at the stranger, taking another bite from his plate. He watched as the other moved into the room, sitting cautiously on the bed. Cloud picked up the other plate Tifa had given him, holding it out towards the man. “Here, you should eat.:

The man watched him for a moment, his damp, long hair clinging to his skin. He reached out to take the plate from Cloud’s hand with a soft ‘thank you’.

The next few minutes passed with them eating together silently, neither of them saying anything. Cloud took the plate from the other once it was empty, setting both plates down on the desk for a moment.

“You can stay here for a while,” he told the other. “At least until you get your feet under you, things can be hard for you as an ex-SOLDIER.” Cloud was well aware of how difficult the ex-SOLDIERs had it; many of them faced discrimination and fear from the civilians, which in turn made it difficult for them to find work. He had experienced that for himself.

The other remained silent for a moment, before swallowing heavily and speaking in a blank tone of voice. “That’s very kind of you.”

Cloud fixed the other with a searching gaze but was only met with a carefully blank expression, he wouldn’t be getting anything more than that from the other. “Alright then,” he said, standing from the chair. “I’ll see you in the morning then.”

“You don’t live here?” The question was spoken in a rush and when Cloud turned back to the other, he had an expression that told Cloud that the other hadn’t meant to ask that.

He decided to answer the other’s question anyway, there was little harm in telling the other the truth. “No, I’ve got my own place.”

The other nodded sharply before dropping his head and focusing his gaze on the sheet underneath him.

Cloud left the stranger to his own devices with the plates in his hands, descending to the first floor and making his way into the kitchen. Tifa entered soon after he did, giving him an expectant look as he set the plate down in the sink. “Is he doing alright?” She asked, worry lacing her words.

He seems fine,” he told her, turning to lean back against the sink. “He might need some help with his hair though, I don’t think it’s even _seen_ a brush in months.”

“I’ll see if I can’t fix that.” Tifa stated confidently, cocking her hip against the doorway. “Can’t be anything worse than how bad Vincent’s gets.”

He huffed a surprised laugh at that reminder. Vincent had disappeared for a few months and when he showed back up he had been a mess, hair knotted and clumped with dirt, twigs and all manner of things. Tifa hadn’t been too happy with that; she had taken a brush to it the first moment she could. Vincent would have escaped if he could, but Tifa had bribed Cloud to keep him in place.

The cookies had been amazing and he had no regrets, even if Vincent had taken to giving him betrayed looks whenever they came across each other. But at least Vincent now owned a brush.

“I’ll be back to see how things are going in the morning.” He informed her, amusement still present in his tone. “I’ll just say bye to Denzel before I go.”

Tifa nodded, returning back to the front of the bar. He followed her soon after, ducking upstairs to speak with Denzel for a few moments before leaving Seventh Heaven with a last wave in Tifa’s direction.

He was home before he knew it, his apartment building only a few streets away from Seventh Heaven. It was one of the one’s built by the WRO to be SOLDIER-resistant and housed quite a few ex-SOLDIERs at a decent rate.

It wasn’t anything impressive, just a single bedroom apartment, but it was his and he was more than happy with it.

He moved towards the desk he kept in the main room, looking through his schedule for the next few weeks. He had a few minor deliveries to make this week but nothing that would take more than a day, he wouldn’t have to worry about not being able to check in on the ex-SOLDIER.

* * *

He arrived at Seventh Heaven early the next morning, leaving his own place soon after he finished breakfast.

“Hey Cloud!” Tifa greeted when she let him in, “Genesis is up in his room if you want to talk to him.”

He blinked at her, the name unfamiliar to him. “Genesis?”

“The guy you brought in last night.” She explained, moving around the kitchen. “He seems like a nice guy Cloud, very charming.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” he told her, moving towards the stairs.

He knocked on the stranger’s, _Genesis’_ , door waiting for the man to answer him. “One moment,” was called from inside before Cloud heard the sound of footsteps approaching the door, opening to reveal the other man.

Tifa must have attacked the man with her hairbrush because his hair was much tamer now. His hair was much nicer without all those knots and brambles in it, it fell to his lower back in a silky, red curtain.

It was very nice.

He blinked, realizing that he had been staring at the other man. Genesis was watching him with a look Cloud couldn’t identify. He cleared his throat roughly, glancing off to the side a moment before speaking. “Morning.”

“Good morning,” the other replied, in a soft voice.

“You doing alright?” Cloud asked awkwardly, shifting on his feet.

“Yes,” was his answer, “thank you.”

There was a period of stilted silence between them before Cloud shook himself, focusing on the matter at hand. “We’ve got to get you some actual clothes today,” he told the other calmly. “We’ll go whenever you’re ready.”

He watched as the other’s expression closed off, “of course,” he answered blandly. “I’ll be down in a few moments.”

“Alright,” Cloud agreed with a nod, stepping away from the other’s door. “I’ll be downstairs when you’re ready to go.”

The door closed softly and he descended the stairs back to the first floor, seating himself at the counter of the bar. Tifa moved over to him, leaning across the counter to peer into his face.

“So,” she started in an inquisitive tone. “What’re his colours?”

A startled laugh escaped his mouth at her question, not at all surprised at it. Tifa had lost her ability to see colours years ago when her soulmate, Aerith, died and he knew how much she missed being able to see them.

“He’s red,” he told her, thinking about how to describe the ex-SOLDIER. “His hair’s this really nice auburn colour and his eyes are a kind of electric blue.” He described for her, struggling a bit with how to best describe the man’s colours for her.

“I wish I could see it,” she sighed, tone sad and wistful. Tifa usually didn’t let herself linger on everything she had lost since Aerith’s death; colours, companionship, the unceasing love that having a soulmate provided. It was one of the reasons she couldn’t understand why he didn’t care that he couldn’t remember who his own soulmate was.

“I know,” he said softly, sadness in his own tone. They spent a few minutes in silence just thinking about Aerith and all the others they had lost on their journey to get where they are.

“You’re going to have dinner here tonight,” Tifa informed him, not giving him a chance to refuse.

“Yeah, ok.” He agreed as Genesis came down the stairs. The other man stopped at the base of the stairs, realizing that they were both staring at him.

“Good morning?” Genesis offered them, pressing back against the railing of the stairs behind him.

“Morning!” Tifa greeted brightly, previous moroseness gone from her frame. “You two ready to go break some hearts?”

“Hearts? On no, my dear,” Genesis responded dramatically, approaching the counter of the bar. “We shan’t break their only heart, not when we can break several of their bones.”

Cloud found himself failing to smother a laugh with his hand, something about the way the other had delivered the line was all too amusing to him. He heard Tifa chuckle across the bar, “just be careful with who you attack, ok?”

“I shall do my best.” Genesis promised with a dramatic bow, sending Tifa into a tirade of giggles.

Cloud calmed his laughter, standing form the counter and taking a deep breath. “We’ll be going then, see you when we get back Tifa.”

“Have fun guys, see you when you get back.” She called to them as he led Genesis out of the bar to where he had parked Fenrir.

“You only have this?” Genesis asked, staring at Fenrir with an uneasy expression.

Cloud was glad to see that the man felt a bit more comfortable with him now; Tifa had probably gossiped about him while dealing with the other’s hair last night. Or they had talked about him at the very least.

Whatever it was, it let the other man talk to him comfortably and that was all that mattered.

“Fenrir is a beautiful piece of machinery,” he told the other, mounting the bike easily. “He’ll get us there safely.”

Genesis was still giving the bike an uneasy look but he hesitantly sat behind Cloud, pressing close to him. “You’re sure we won’t crash?”

Cloud suppressed the shiver he felt trying to move through him at the worried question being breathed into his ear. “We’ve both got SOLDIER-level enhancements,” he shot over his shoulder. “We’ll survive if we do.”

He felt the arms around him tighten as he started the engine; a soft fearful noise, barely audible over the engine, reached his ears, stopping him for a moment. “I’ll be careful.” He promised the other, pulling out into the street.

He was very careful as he drove them to the closest clothing store.

* * *

They returned to the bar a few hours later with enough clothes for Genesis to get by with until he could get a job of his own, which would hopefully be sooner rather than later.

The trip hadn’t been too awkward and they managed to avoid being stopped by civilians that would have been angry at them for shopping. They had probably been too terrified of Genesis’ First Class uniform to approach them.

“We’re back!” Cloud called out as they entered Seventh Heaven, holding one of Genesis’ bags of the other. Genesis followed him into the bar; Cloud found his gaze focusing on the other man’s hand running through his long hair in a exhausted manner.

“Hey!” Tifa greeted form within the kitchen, “How’d things go? You get everything you need?”

“Yeah, people were too mesmerized by Genesis’ hair to start anything.” Cloud said, slumping against the counter. “They didn’t know how to handle the tall guy with hair nicer than their’s will ever be.”

He heard a soft huff of laughter from the man next to him.

Tifa approached them with a pleased expression, “it’s all because of my skills with a brush,” she bragged. Cloud tilted his head in her direction, agreeing with her words.

“Might have to start tying it up,” Cloud suggested, gaze flicking to where long hair was currently hiding Genesis’ face. “It might make things a bit easier for you.”

Genesis groaned next to him, his head pillowed on his crossed arms, drained from the trip.

“Or we could cut to a more manageable length,” Tifa suggested. She was turned away from them so she didn’t see how Genesis tensed at her suggestion, his entire form locking up next to Cloud on the counter.

Cloud watched him from the corner of his eye, waiting for the other to relax. He released a soft breath when the tension suddenly left Genesis’ body and the other man lifted his head to speak. “I think I’ll avoid cutting it for the moment.”

There was no further comment on the subject, Genesis took his purchases to his room and left Cloud and Tifa alone in the first floor of the bar.

“He do alright?” Tifa asked, worry lacing her words and voice pitched low to avoid Genesis overhearing them.

“Better than expected.” He answered honestly. Genesis had been oddly relaxed around the large crowd of people in the store, much different than the other SOLDIERs Cloud had helped. They usually hated being in crowds; terrified at the prospects that they might hurt someone without meaning too.

Genesis had moved through the crowd like he had been born to do it; weaving through groups of people easily and traversing the length of the store without so much as a moment’s thought.

Cloud had been amazed by it.

“You think he’ll find something?” Tifa asked, shooting an anxious glance towards Genesis’ room.

“I think he’ll be fine,” he answered confidently. “It might take a while, but I’m sure he’ll find something.”

* * *

The next few weeks were filled with the arduous task of finding something for Genesis to do; one of the more difficult tasks the man would have to face as figured out this new life after Shinra.

They had started by taking things slow, trying to figure out where Genesis’ strengths lied and what he could and could not do.

It was not a pleasant experience for the ex-SOLDIER. Cloud tried to help the other where he could but it hadn’t caused much of a difference, Genesis was still causing more harm than good.

There were many days were Genesis reached the end of his rope and Cloud had to help him blow off steam through sparring. They were travelling out to the ruins of Midgar almost daily now.

Cloud wanted to help the other more though, he remembered how difficult it was to find something he could do after he was no longer required to fight for survival. It was why he was currently searching for an address he had found in the paper just a few hours before.

He hoped it would work out for the other, he really believed that Genesis would enjoy what he was going to suggest.

If not, if the entire thing fell through, then Cloud wouldn’t mind having another powerful fighter with him while he did his deliveries. Having another person to help him with the monsters prowling the land was not a bad idea.

He soon found the building he had been searching for, tucked away in a small corner of the street. It was a brightly coloured thing, painted in eye-catching shades of blue and yellow, it’s name painted above the door in blocky, red letters.

He entered the building, praying that things would turn out alright and that these people would at least be willing to give Genesis a chance before dismissing him. It seemed that he didn’t have to worry too much about it though, the person he was arranging the appointment with seemed to instantly recognize Genesis’ name and was eager for him to come down.

He left the building almost half-an-hour later, a small smile on his face as he gazed down at the small piece of paper in his hand. All he needed to do now was inform Genesis and make sure the man showed up at the appointment.

He left the area, eager to get to Seventh Heaven and inform Genesis of the news. He returned to where he had parked Fenrir, mounting the bike and starting the engine in short time, quickly making his way to Seventh Heaven.

He let himself in when he arrived, calling a greeting into the bar.

“Hey, Cloud.” Tifa replied, from the table she was sitting at to work on the books. “You do what you needed to?”

“Yeah,” he said, gesturing up at the second floor. “He up there?”

Tifa’s expression dropped as a heavy sigh left her lips, “yeah, he’s up there.”

“Bad day?” Cloud asked, pausing in the middle of the room to give her a searching look.

“Not any more than usual,” Tifa sighed, cradling her chin in her hands. “He’s doing his best.”

Cloud hummed softly, continuing his stride towards the stairs and moving to knock at Genesis’ door. There was silence from within before Cloud heard Genesis’ voice calling out softly, allowing him to enter.

Genesis was obviously expecting Tifa as when he saw Cloud standing at his door he scrambled from his downtrodden posture on the bed to his feet. His expression was braced, waiting for Cloud to say something; either about his previous position or his mad scramble to his feet.

Cloud just sat on the mattress, patting the space next to him in an indication for Genesis to join him. The other’s movements were much more controlled when he sat next to Cloud, meeting his gaze hesitantly once he was seated.

“Bad day?” Cloud inquired, already knowing the answer. The way the other’s features remained even as he kept his silence was all too telling to Cloud. “I found something that might brighten your day.” He told the other, ignoring the inquisitive look he received as he held the piece of paper out to Genesis.

The paper was taken from his hand and Genesis stared at the words printed on it for several moments, trying to comprehend what it said.

“This… This is a theatre agency.” Genesis eventually forced from his throat, lifting his head to lock his gaze with Cloud’s. “How did you… ?”

Cloud gave the other a soft smile, chest warmed by the other’s awestruck expression. “I did some digging,” he admitted with a shrug. “Found their add in the paper and thought it’d be something you’d be good at.”

Genesis was stunned silent, running his eyes over the words in front of him. They stayed there for hours, sitting next to each other on the bed until Denzel came into the room to talk to Cloud.

Cloud was confident that he hadn’t imagine the soft “thank you” he heard from the other man as he left the room.

Cloud returned to Seventh Heaven two days later to the news that Genesis had gotten the part and would be starting his first practice at the end of the week. It was definitely a cause for celebration.

Tifa was eager to get out the alcohol and the three of them sat together, toasting to a bright future.

Cloud noticed Genesis shooting him looks through the night but he couldn’t decipher what they were. He ignored the other for the moment, simply wanting to enjoy the night.

Halfway through the bottle, Tifa started questioning him on colours once again. They were both surprised when Genesis started to answer her questions with him.

They hadn’t known that Genesis could see colour.

* * *

After weeks of practice and preparation they were here at the opening night of Genesis’ first part in the theatre. Cloud and Tifa were going together as friends to support the other man who had become a good friend to them since he found Cloud out on the wastes of Midgar.

Cloud thought it was a nice performance, though he wasn’t really interested in things like these. Tifa was mesmerized the entire time, watching the stage with a wistful expression. He felt a stab of guilt in his chest that she couldn’t see the production in its full splendor though he knew that Aerith’s fate hadn’t been his fault.

She turned her gaze to him for a moment and gave him a reassuring smile, as if knowing what he had been thinking about. Which she probably did, with how long they had known each other.

She turned her gaze back to the stage, focusing back on the performances of the actors. Cloud followed her lead, watching the story being portrayed by the actors.

Genesis played his part magnificently and Cloud was sure that the man would be moving up in the theatre before he knew it. The play was soon finished and the actors were giving their final curtain call, signaling the audience that it was safe to start moving in their seats.

Tifa was urging him to stand a few moments after the actors had left the stage, dragging him along with her to go find Genesis and congratulate him on his performance. He followed her hesitantly until he saw that several other people were moving the way they were, most likely the friends and families of the other actors.

They soon found the room Genesis was sharing with two other actors, he looked shocked to see them when they entered but his features quickly shifted to a more pleased expression.

“Did you enjoy the show?” He asked as they approached him, eyes flicking between the two of them.

Cloud let his gaze wander the room as Tifa told the other how much she had enjoyed the night and how well she thought he had done. His gaze skimmed the two other actors speaking with their own friends, his ears picking up their conversation without effort on his part.

“And you Cloud?” Genesis asked, drawing Cloud’s attention back to him. The other’s expression was carefully blank as he waited for his answer.

Cloud blinked at him for a moment, answering quietly. “It was good.”

He thought he saw Genesis’ face fall but he blinked and the other’s expression was back to its careful blankness. Genesis turned his attention back to Tifa before Cloud could say anything though, engaging her in easy conversation about the play.

Cloud put it out of his mind, deciding it was just his imagination.

* * *

Things came to a head a week after Genesis’ first performance.

Cloud and Genesis had journeyed out to the ruins of Midgar once again to put each other through their paces.

It was a hard battle, swords and magic moving swiftly through the air against each other. Cloud hadn’t had an opponent like this since Sephiroth.

The fight ended suddenly with Cloud pinning the other man to the hard earth beneath them, as one of Genesis fireballs impacted the ground Cloud had been standing upon moments before.

The two of them were staring at each other, both trying to catch their breaths after the fight. Cloud’s breathing evened out first and he moved off of the other, moving his sweat-soaked strands of hair from his face.

He was about to move to help the other up when a harsh, pained sound reached his ears, freezing him to the cor. He snapped his gaze to the other, staring in astonishment at Genesis’ form.

Genesis had lifted himself to a seated position and had dropped his head into his hands, his shoulders shaking with soft sobs.

Cloud dropped down to his knees next to the other, gazing at him in concern. “Genesis? What’s wrong?” He asked, voice clearly distressed.

“I _can’t_ ,” Genesis whispered, voice thick with emotion. “I _can’t do this anymore_.”

“Genesis,” Cloud coaxed, pressing closer to the other man. “Talk to me.”

“I’ve tried _so_ hard,” Genesis stressed, lifting his gaze to stare at Cloud with wet eyes. “But I _just can’t handle_ this anymore Cloud.”

Cloud didn’t understand what the other meant by that but whatever it was, it must have been important to cause this much distress in the other man. “Tell me about it,” he coaxed in a soft voice. “Let’s talk about it.”

Genesis shook his head sharply, a harsh noise leaving his lips. “I’m trying to make it up,” Genesis told him, stressing his words in a desperate tone. “But I _can’t handle_ having you _like this_ anymore.”

Cloud was stunned silent, staring at Genesis’ face.

“And I _know_ I don’t deserve to be picky,” Genesis continued, reaching out to grip Cloud’s arms in a tight grip. “You’ve been so kind to me, even though I _don’t deserve it_ after _I threw you away_.”

Cloud felt his breath quickening as Genesis continued to speak, his eyes widening as he began to realize what the other was talking about.

“I _promised_ myself that I’d take anything you gave me when I saw you out in the wastes. I _promised_ that I wouldn’t interfere with your life anymore than I already had.” Cloud swallowed heavily, his chest heavy as he continued to listen to the other’s ramblings. “But I _can’t_ deal with this, I can’t handle you looking at me like _I don’t mean anything to you_.”

Cloud found a harsh noise falling from his throat, interrupting Genesis’ ramblings. He dropped his own head into his hands, smothering the noises falling from his mouth.

A wounded noise left Genesis’ throat as he took Cloud’s face in his hands. “Look, I’m still ruining things,” he pressed his forehead to Cloud’s as tears started leaking from his eyes once again. “I just keep _hurting_ you, precious.”

Cloud shook his own head softly, pulling away from the other’s hand to stare at his face, admitting in a soft, fragile voice. “I had Mako Poisoning,” Genesis stiffened, freezing at his words. “I, I forgot _everything_. I _don’t remember_ ever meeting you before.”

Another wounded noise left the other man before he was wrapped in a warm embrace and pulled into the other’s space.

They would have quite a lot to talk about once everything passed them. Cloud wanted to know what Genesis had meant when he said he had ‘thrown him away’.

But that could all wait for the moment.


End file.
